Poetry Version of Bright as the Sun
by Lai Jun Chen
Summary: I had to do some poetry for a literature class and, as I'm terrible at poetry, I used some of the chapters from Bright as the Sun to finish the projects. Anyway, just wondering what people would think of the works in this version. Let me know how you like it!
1. The Saint

**Bright as the Sun**

 **(The Goodness of the Saint)**

Your soul is so bright  
It's blinding.  
And while the light  
Cast from it is nearly unbearable  
Your soul is the most pleasant  
I have ever had in my sight.

There is not one soul I can see  
And I see them all  
That can match what yours can be.  
Few others can so much  
As hold a candle to thee  
To you whose soul is as bright as the sun.

You have a slight shadow that is cast,  
But there will always be shadow  
Where there is light.  
How do you continue to dream, though  
As if you'll live forever  
And live as if you'll die tomorrow?

Is there a real person feigned  
Behind that never ending optimism?  
Are you at all pained  
Behind that endless smile?  
Is there bitterness or resentment  
Behind your never-ending forgiveness?  
Is there a lack of surety, unmeant,  
Behind that endless determination?

You hardly seem human anymore.  
Is it because you have given yourself away?  
Piece by Piece?

The world is cruel, I know,  
But I never thought  
It would nothing of you,  
Although, despite this  
You're soul shines brighter than any other.

You have more to you than this?  
This is why you truly seem inhuman?  
Because you are the only one in this abyss  
Who has broken never?  
Because you are the only one left  
Capable of dreaming like you'll live forever  
And living as if you'll die tomorrow?

Whatever the reason,  
You're just like the sun.  
You always look just like the sun.


	2. A Tale of Madness

**Because We Love You**

 **(A Tale of Turmoil and Madness/A Tale of Multiple-Personality Disorder)**

~Tell us of your dreams, dearest.

Mind you, we already know your every dream.

It is you who seem to have forgotten them.

But do not worry, we will remind you.

~Instead, will you tell us of your hope?

This we know you still possess

and will always remember.

Perhaps you do not realize this, but you _move_ your hope;

it shifts between groups and individuals,

and flickers,

hides,

races in circles

with each new battle or death.

Often we have trouble finding it amongst,

or even _within_ the pieces you have split your soul into,

but we will always search until it is in our grasp again.

~'Puzzle pieces' is what you call all the tiny sections you have divided yourself into.

Puzzle pieces would be a very fitting way to describe your soul

except that that is not how souls work.

Puzzles have a set number of pieces,

they have predefined borders,

and they have an end, a point at which they are complete.

Souls are not finite,

they do not recognize such things as borders,

and they never simply end.

Not even in death.

Furthermore, you cannot replace a piece of your soul once lost

as there is no such thing as an exact replica in life-

not in actions or words,

in photographs,

keys,

or even in clones.

If lost, could anyone ever take the places in your heart

that your friends and family occupy?

~We don't suppose it really matters how you describe your soul,

your world,

or even how you _view_ it.

We care only that these things are preserved.

Once, all of you crumbled,

fell into the sea,

and tried to drown-

both figuratively and literally.

Was it really all that surprising that we jumped the metaphorical ship?

It is not as if we left you

or would ever let you drown.

We held you just at the surface and let you flounder,

gasp for air,

and decide if you again wanted to fly.

~Yes, your decision took longer than we would have liked,

but eventually you dragged your self-made Atlantis from the ocean floor.

It will take time to dry out your battered wings

and repair all of the buildings damaged by the pressure,

but at least your world is at sea level again.

You can truly _breathe_ now.

 _We_ can breathe again.

We wonder if, perhaps,

we should have pushed you harder.

~We know that we are cruel, but it is because we so love you.

We are cruel because this is the only way we know how to protect you.

Gladly we will push you,

hurt you,

and abandon you.

Gladly we will always return to you

and help rebuild what is left of you.

We will repeat this process as many times as we must in order to make you strong.

Gladly we will do all this,

suffer all this,

if only because we love you.

~We cannot love a corpse

and there is nothing to be done for one who has given up.

All you must do is live and we will love you.

All you must do is fight and we will be there for you.

Do not fear.

Because we love you we will always be there for you.

So long as we are with you, you should have no fear at all.

~Tell us of your fears, darling.

We imagine that we know your fears

even better than we know your dreams.

Indeed, we know every wish and regret,

every nightmare

and waking fear-

warranted or not.

We know everything you should fear but inexplicably do not and vice versa.

We are all but plagued by these things.

You fear loneliness, but not death.

You fear success and failure both.

We are not sure if we should laugh or cry.

~You are such a deranged and naïve child, truly.

Yet these qualities are, in part, why we love you so.

Your despair and fear gave you truer vision

and helped us in giving you an astounding strength all your own.

So why do you still bother to rely on others

when you know that you can rely on us?

We may hold you,

keep you,

hurt you,

but only because we love you.

Tell us of your resolve, beloved.

Tell us what you will do when those you love more than the world are gone.

There is no certainty that you can keep them, but you can keep us.

All you need is us,

so why do you still feel that you need them?

Why do you still _want_ them?

~Tell us truly, what will you do when your puzzle pieces leave or die on you?

We know what you will do:

You will crumble.

But because we love you we will be there for you.

Because we love you we will continue to repair you and return you to the front lines.

As much as you hate this war you need to be a part of it,

just as we do.

You hate us for putting you in this war,

for keeping you in it,

and for trying to protect you from it.

We love you just as much as you hate us.

But we do not mind.

~Whether we have no choice but to love you due to the nature of what we are,

or if it is simply by choice that we gladly suffer unrequited love… even we do not know.

We do not mind the 'not knowing' either.

By force or choice,

that we love you is all that matters.

~We returned to you after you nearly drowned because you promised

to fight _with_ us,

to _be_ with us,

 _live_ for us.

We are cruel, just as we said.

We are also incredibly selfish,

not only because of what we are,

but also because we love you so.

Do not be angry with us for this.

Is not the way that all humans love also selfish?

Even if our love is the only kind that is so,

we cannot,

we _will not_ change it.

~So long as you live,

we will love you.

We love you and do not wish to be parted from you.

Even when you do not need us or want us,

we will do all that is in our power to stay by your side.

Because we love you we will never let you go.


	3. Frivolity

2

 _ **Frivolous**_ _: The state of being self-indulgently carefree; given to undue levity…_

This word describes you perfectly,

though it is crude.

To one who does not know you

this one adjective seems to be

perfectly synonymous with your attitude

and nature, too...

With your very being.

But no one knows you well enough to understand anything beyond the frivolity.

There is a reason you indulge in all the pleasures of the world.

The indulgences serve a purpose.

Once upon a time you were told

you could help save the world.

They thought the role of hero would be enough for you,

a new life so bold,

as it had been for so many others.

And it was enough, it's true...

…at first.

After years of thankless service you decided that things couldn't stay changeless.

After years of staring the despairing ugliness,

of humanity,

in the face you wanted to see that which was lovelier.

You needed beauty.

You _deserved_ beauty.

In exchanged for you service as a soldier

the world would be your oyster.

 _~Everyone needs an outlet to cope._

You became the epitome of frivolity,

a modern day Marie Antoinette.

It is a well-deserved state of being, is it not?

Fair, though all is of poor quality.

What is money

or a few nights with someone's spouse

in comparison to the public service you provide?

It is only fair, really.

You are frivolous because that luxury is your right in exchange for duty.

You are frivolous because their favors are such an insignificant price for you to take.

You are frivolous because only in that lifestyle will you see or experience beauty.

You are frivolous because if you are not you might break.

 _~The only problem is that no one else sees it this way._

Don't they know that this is how you keep from breaking from the pain?

Don't they know that this is the only way that you can feel human and loved?

Don't they know that this is the only thing keeping you sane?

If you drink enough liqueurs and perfectly distilled wine,

for a thirst you can never slake,

you can forget the blissfully ignorant life you had before.

If you lie, cheat, con, and take

from those ignorant, happy, normal fools

you might be able to ignore that you are nothing more

than their slave.

You'll take advantage because,

after everything is said and done,

haven't you earned it?

Hasn't your servitude given you the right to such excesses while still alive?

After all, you are not frivolous because you want to be,

per se,

but because you must be.

You are frivolous because it is the only way you know how to survive.

Let them think you an immoral,

thoughtless,

selfish bastard.

Let them think whatever they will.

Let them think you nothing more than frivolous...

because,

at least then,

they will not know that you are silently falling apart beside them.


End file.
